Buoyant propeller



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

P. M. SMITH.

BUOYANT PROPELLER- No. 394.731. Paten ted Dec. 18, 1888.

N MIA/8558.- I l/VVE/VTOH.

romver.

( No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

F. M. SMITH.

BUOYANT .PROPELLBR.

No. 394,731. Paten'ted Dec. 18, 1888. 8

ATTORNEY N mans Fhnhrlilhngraphov, Wamingkm, ma

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANKLIN M. SMITH, OF LEAPER, OHIO.

BUOYANT PROPELLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,731, dated December 18, 1888.

Application filed June 2, 1888. Serial No. 275,890. (No model.)

T0 to whom it may concern;-

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN M. SMITH, of Iieaper, in the county of Gallia and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Boats, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention is in the nature of an improved boat of that general form having a movable hull which is constructed in jointed water-tight sections, which hull both supplies means of flotation and is'also adapted to revolve around sprocket-wheels like an endless belt, so as to supply means of propulsion.

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section, and Fig. 3 is a plan view.

The movable hull is formed of two endless chains, A A, an endless belt or web, B, of rubber cloth or other water-tight material, a series of curved transverse inside plates, 0, and a series of curved transverse outside buckets or paddle -section-s, D. The endless chains are composed of links a, jointed together at a in a well-known way, and having raised caps (t These caps give space for the teeth of sprocket-wheels E E to enter and rotate the flexible endless hull, and said caps also constitute a point of attachment for the in side curved plates, (J, which latter are bolted to the outside curved buckets or paddles by bolts Z), and between which plates and paddles the rubber or elastic web B is secured, leaving between each pair of adjacent paddles and inner plates a flexible water-tight joint. The sprocket-wheels E E are rigidly fixed upon shafts F F, to which a rotary motion is intended to be imparted from within by a steam-engine or other suitable power. \Vhen these shafts are rotated, it will be seen that the sprocket-wheels cause the endless hull to travel, the portion above the middle passing in forward direction over the cabin K, and the portion below the middle (which floats the vessel) passing to the rear and securing, by reason of its paddles, a purchase against the water, which propels the boat forward. As the endless hull moves around, it is guided in its travel by pulleys H H.

Upon the shafts F F is mounted an alleyway or platform, I, which extends all the way around the hull to permit the crew or passengers to gain access to the exterior of the hull,

and upon the ends of the shafts, outside of the hull, are attached wheels J J, which rotate with the shaft, being rigidly attached thereto. The object of these wheels is to help the boat overshoals in case it strikes shallow water, the wheels acting like the wheels of a locomotive, in that case by traversing the bed of the river.

In constructing the inside plates, C, of the hull-section one or both edges 0 of each plate are curled up to form almost a tube at its edge. The object of this is, first, to catch any water that may get inside of the hull and drain it overboard as the hull passes over the cabin. This always keeps the hull clear of bilge-water. The other purpose served by this round edge is to make a round surface at the point of articulation, to prevent the rubber Web from being worn in two. If, however, any leak occurs in the rubber web, the hull can be stopped in its rotation at a point which brings the opening on top of the cabin, and in this position the boat will float indefinitely while repairs are being made.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. A boat having a hull constructed of a water-proof endless web, paddle-sections upon the outside of the web, and endless chains with plates upon the inside of the web, and a pair of shafts with sprocket-wheels, substan tially as and for the purpose described.

2. The chains A, composed of articulated links a, with raised caps a combined with curved plates 0, located outside the caps, web 13, arranged outside the plates 0, and paddlesections D, arranged outside the web, and all bolted together through the caps of the chains, the sprocket-wheels E, and the shafts F, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. A boat having a hull composed of an endless waterproof web, with paddle-sections on the outside curving upwardly from the bottom and plates O on the inside of a corresponding shape, and having at one edge the curled lip or flange c, for continually removing bilge-water, as described.

FRANKLIN M. SMITH.

\Vitnesses:

SoLoN O. KEMON, (was A. PETTIT. 

